The Auburn Tiger (at the Birmingham Zoo)

The November 26, 1958 issue of The Auburn Plainsman brings us yet another fantastic footnote in the history of Auburn’s eclectic, esoteric mascot culture—a footnote that lived at the Birmingham Zoo and was scheduled for an appearance (but for some reason didn’t appear) at the 1958 Beat Bama parade through downtown Birmingham.

Ah, the ’50s, when if Alabamians wanted to root for a winning team, they had to root for Auburn… when the tiger at the Magic City’s brand new menagerie was named the Auburn Tiger and when the elephant was named “Miss Fancy.”

Speaking of footnotes: I’m kicking off a weekly half hour segment (It’s Pronounced Jordan, brought to you by The War Eagle Reader) tonight on The Drive, which airs from 4-6 p.m. on ESPN 106.5 in Auburn-Opelika. Sexy will be brought back to Auburn history each Thursday at 5 p.m. Tonight’s topic? You guessed it: the history of Auburn’s eclectic, esoteric mascot culture, delivered with wit and wisdom beyond the posts and with a timbre of voice aching to be discovered (and a hints of future investigations). You can listen online [by clicking the “Listen Live” link on the top left of the page] here. Finebaum, set that crown on the ground.